...Ever?
In my opinion this is probably one of the best game ever made, It was so exiting all the way through. Also a very very well written plot.
This is the most perfect Thriller/Adventure game I've every played, And what an ending!
I gave this a 10/10 but It's probably worth ten times that...
what do you guys think?
''TECHNOLOGY IS A LIE, SENT BY LIBERALS TO KILL US!''
- GTA IV, WKTT Talk Radio
I'm going to be awkward and say that there cannot be a best game ever, since the dramatic differences in tastes, genres and styles pretty much makes it only possible to have a 'most liked' game, and not a specifically 'best' game.
Nothing can be 10/10 really, since 10 means there is absoloutely, without a split second of even the most minor of faults, nothing wrong with the game and nothing that can be improved upon. There is no such game.
However, I do believe half life 2 is an exceptional game, it has just about everything I'd like to see in a game, its original, its got scares, action, strategy, puzzles and well scripted sequences alongside well thought through characters, settings, plot, and graphics which although aren't the best on the market, they do their job to a more than satisfactory degree.
So, I would say it was one of my favourite games.
I eat Lions
For a game that came out in 2004, It's awsome.
I'd say that the minor problems are the loading part, every 5th minute or something like that.
But if you put that aside, there is almost no other game that is so well executed.
''TECHNOLOGY IS A LIE, SENT BY LIBERALS TO KILL US!''
- GTA IV, WKTT Talk Radio
Half-life 2 changed my life. :)
I have only recently delved into the rich plethora of brilliance that is Half Life 2, it really is astounding and triumphant.
I'm sort of in decayed, dystopian future-fiction mode since reading "1984", i've been reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and have been playing The Orange Box for many days now.
I finished Half-Life 2, i'm currently on Episode 1 and i'm now wholly immersed in the story, this is one of the most impressive and well-constructed video game storylines I've ever come across, the oppressive totalitarian regime being spear-headed by this enigmatic alien civilization known only as the Combine, who've swiftly broken and enslaved all of human kind and then the character of Wallace Breen who is very much reminicent of Big Brother (for example the televisions indoors which reminded me of the "telescreens" in 1984 and the massive screens that are outdoors), the blending of genres is at once effective and bizarre, the haunting atmosphere that populates ever stitch of this landscape, the writing is also impressive, both the indirect and direct dialogue, I feel moved and attached emotionally to the characters, especially that of Alyx since Gordon spends a great deal of time with here in Episode 1, the mind-blowingly expressive facial animation plays a huge part in selling these characters, combined with the well-written dialogue and realistic body language, I think it is single-handedly the most awe-inspiring aspect of this game, and beats anything i've ever seen...ever.
There are so many haunting and ingenious moments here that I feel i'll have to play through the entire series of games again once i've completed all of them, just to absorb everything I either missed or didn't remember the first time around.
Half Life 2 truly has it's own identity, it is unlike anything i've ever experienced period, it only has parallels to other genres and stories, but it never steals or borrows from them.
Ofcourse every other facet of the game is expertly conceived, i'm really more of a story person so multiplayer really doesn't interest me all that much, and in saying that I believe video games are a medium that's potential for storytelling and immersion are only now being tapped, after playing games like BioShock, The Darkness, Halo, and then Half Life 2 (which completely blows all of those previous titles out of the water), but I have to say the level design is also light years above anything i've ever witnessed, how the environments can be simultaneously linear and non-cumbersome to navigate, and not for a fraction of a second become repetitive is beyond me, how every situation you find yourself in can be at once thrillingly condusive to exploration and interactivity, and than also just difficult enough to require you to think, but not so much as to leave you stranded, it seems no matter the circumstance I find a way through it, and usually in the most unexpected and gleefully satisfying way.
All in all, i'm just really glad to have finally played Half Life 2, and I have a question for those who've finished everything including Episode 2, I'm really hoping for an intelligent and somewhat moving finale to the story, although i'm already aware of an Episode 3 on the horizon, can anyone tell me how good Episode 2 truly is?
I'm just curious as to the validity of the reviews i've read, because they're unanimously in praise of it, and I couldn't be more excited to see it unfold.
Here's to hoping Episode 3 comes out soon.
-Snowman
I agree with Jamie...
I'm suppose to put my signature here...we'll see about that
I'm so used to having to argue my points that someone agreeing with me has left me with nothing to say.
I eat Lions
Well it is still one of the best games ever made.
You can't argue with that.
''TECHNOLOGY IS A LIE, SENT BY LIBERALS TO KILL US!''
- GTA IV, WKTT Talk Radio
One of the best, but still with a lot of improvements that could be done to its downsides: no close-combat, Gordons lack of voice (which was understandable in HL1 with perhaps limited resources, but getting ridiculous thereafter), the inability to break down wooden doors, the inability to climb at least over chest-high walls, the terrible linear plot (could I get to choose the path for once?), and so on and so forth.
That said, this is bu no means a bad game. It could just be better,
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Top 5: Jaws, Shrek, Fucling Åmål. Add more if I find any top movies
Well... If you've played episodes 1 and 2 you'll see many improvements.
And what do you mean with ''no close-combat''?
Have you been to Ravenholm? Have you been to City 17 or Nova Prospect?
Have you ever even finnished the game??
The last chapters, when you're in the Citadel, are all about close-combat.
You should know that if you've played through the whole game!
''TECHNOLOGY IS A LIE, SENT BY LIBERALS TO KILL US!''
- GTA IV, WKTT Talk Radio
It is so great to have finally finished these trule remarkable works of art, more accurately would be to say I finished Episode 2 nearly two weeks ago, but the satisfying and even emotionally moving culmination of the storyline in Episode 2 has really haunted me in the weeks following it's completion, what a magnificient video game, without a doubt it is both the greatest gaming experience i've ever had, and further evidence that video games are without equal in their ability to wholly immerse you in the story, my first love is film, but I have to say i've never been so obsessively awed by ANY story, like I have this.
Although I will say there are obviously superior stories out there, but in the land of video games, this is unparalleled.
In case anyone is remotely interested, I discovered this site called GooseGoose.com, owned and operated by an artist living in Seattle, who took it upon himself to create extremely in-depth critiques of all three installments of Half-Life 2, they are surprisingly informative and intelligent, not to mention this fellow has both the eye for detail and the irreverent witticisms that in a way, bring nuanced breadth into some of the moments of the game, this guy is very much in love with the story and characters of the Half Life universe, and like anyone who's played these games multiple times, he brings a unique insight into the fascinating universe and narrative of Half Life.
I have my own theories and opinions of the games, but I enjoyed these commentaries very much, for it was a nice change of pace to become the spectator for once, I highly recommend checking them out if you're so inclined, if you're at all like me, in that you both revere and care deeply, for the momentous achievement that is Half Life 2, I can't wait for Episode 3.
If you're interested, the best way to look this fellow up is by utilizing one of those crafty search engines such as Google, and just typing in "Half Life 2 commentary" since they are google videos.
Let me know what you guys think!
By the way, I still need to listen to those freakin' game commentaries by the developers at Valve and the voice actors, I think i'll wait until Episode 3 comes out, so I can play through them all again.
-Ray
Sorry, was too tired when I wrote that; I meant hand-to-hand: Kicking, biting, hitting...
And yes, I've played the game through three times now, including epoisode one and two.
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Top 5: Jaws, Shrek, Fucling Åmål. Add more if I find any top movies
...seriously, that's the worst argument ever!
hand-to-hand: Kicking, biting, hitting...
*sigh* So why did they include a crowbar to whack things over the head with? Which, I would like to add, does not include aforementioned hand-to-hand combat, but is only swinging around.
No, I don't want just that, but I want HTH to be part of the fighting system. For the record, I also miss the ability to peek around corners (and shoot from behind corners) for example, something that has been around for quite some time as Call of Duty for example. Other things that are missing, now when we are discussing the combat system, would be the prone position, and being able to shoot lying down.
Now that is what can be found in a FPS. Just not in HL2.
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Top 5: Jaws, Shrek, Fucling Åmål. Add more if I find any top movies
Firstly, Gordon is a scientist and very resourceful in a fight, that doesn't make him any good at hand to hand combat.
Secondly, adding a prone position is just being fiddly, its not needed in the game and would make combat slower and less delightfully haphazard.
I eat Lions
It doesn't take skills to deal out knuckle sandwiches you know at the very least.
For your second point, if adding a prone position would be to fiddle, how come almost all (newer) shooters have it?
The combat system is ok, but IMO its the weakest part of the game. Luckily, I prefer whats the game's strong point: character development and story line.
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Top 5: Jaws, Shrek, Fucling Åmål. Add more if I find any top movies
The original Half-Life is better in my opinion.
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